A common type of fishing is referred to as trotline fishing in which an extremely long main line is provided with leaders attached to the main line at spaced intervals, the lower ends of the leaders being provided with a hook. Such a trotline is manipulated from a fishing vessel such as a small boat or the like. In trotline fishing, the fishing boat is provided with a suitable guide for accommodating the trotline as the boat is moved in the water so that in setting out the trotline, the fisherman may quickly and easily bait the hooks sequentially for subsequent introduction of the baited trotline into the water. Similarly, the fisherman uses the boat and guide to remove fish from the hooks sequentially as the boat advances in the water along the trotline. Various devices have been proposed for lifting, supporting and guiding a trotline to a position within easy reach of a fisherman for inspecting or servicing the trotline from the fishing vessel among which are those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,579 issued to James K. Benne, U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,627 issued to T. W. Osborne and U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,894 issued to Robert V. Goddard. Such present day devices are characterized by various limitations among which are complexity in construction, susceptible to wear and possible jamming and requiring considerable care in the trotline fishing operation to avoid line entanglement and injury from the hooks thereby prolonging the time required for both deploying the trotline and for removing fish from the hooks.